The Main Thing: Andy Hilger on Grit, Purpose, and Renewal
Mar 07, 2025In a recent episode of the Journey Mindfulness Podcast, host James O’Neill welcomed Andrew Hilger, a seasoned executive whose 25-year tenure at Allegis Group—including a stint as president—offers a masterclass in leadership, resilience, and living with purpose. From plank-offs to boardroom breakthroughs, Andrew's journey is a testament to leaning into discomfort, embracing curiosity, and keeping “the main thing” at the heart of it all. Here’s what we learned from this inspiring conversation.
From the Wrestling Mat to the Boardroom
Andrew's story begins with a chip on his shoulder and a love for competition. A self-described “contact hitter at best” in baseball and a basketball player who couldn’t jump over a phone book, he found his stride as a high school wrestler—thrust onto varsity at 98 pounds simply because no one else fit the slot. “Sometimes my job wasn’t to win; it was just to not get pinned,” he recalls. That grit—forged through humbling losses and a refusal to quit—became a cornerstone of his life.
Fast-forward to 1997, when Andrew joined Allegis Group, a staffing and tech services powerhouse. Hired as a business process modeler during a chaotic Y2K-driven growth spurt, he was the introverted note-taker in a sea of charismatic salespeople. Then came a defining moment: a raucous meeting where priorities clashed, fists nearly flew, and his boss tossed his chair into the hallway, forcing him to stand up—literally and figuratively. “Absolute terror,” Andrew admits, sweat beading as 24 pairs of eyes turned to him. Yet, with a marker in hand, he fumbled through charts and action items, turning an F-grade shouting match into a D-grade step forward.
Ready to quit, he confronted his boss, Tony, only to be met with a laugh and a challenge: “This place is growing like crazy. We need you to do more.” That moment—when fear morphed into purpose—propelled Andrew from behind-the-scenes facilitator to a leader tackling acquisitions in London and Australia, serving as CIO, and eventually becoming president in 2016. “I felt 10 feet tall,” he says, crediting a culture that celebrated risk over perfection.
The Power of Rugged Flexibility
Andrew's ascent wasn’t a straight climb up a corporate ladder—it was a meandering path fueled by curiosity and what he calls “rugged flexibility” (a nod to Brad Stulberg’s Master of Change). At Allegis, a fast-growing, team-oriented company, he thrived by diving into complex problems others shied away from. “I never had a job, just assignments,” he explains. “I wasn’t worried about how it’d look on my career journey. I just wanted to solve cool problems with people I cared about.”
This mindset, unburdened by ego or a need for titles, led founder Jim Davis to tap him as president. Why? Andrew's breadth of experience—spanning every business unit and geography—offered a unique lens to navigate emerging threats like algorithmic platforms and digital disruption. “He saw I could help us see around corners,” Andrew reflects. In an era obsessed with specialization, his story echoes David Epstein’s Range, heralding a “golden age of generalists” who excel at sense-making across disciplines.
Anti-Fragility and the Culture of Care
At Allegis, Andrew found a rare culture where anti-fragility—thriving through adversity, not just surviving it—wasn’t a buzzword but a way of life. “Make mistakes,” the founders urged. “We can fix anything but ethical ones.” This ethos, paired with deep investment in relationships, turned a staffing firm into a community. “We cared about each other’s success,” Andrew says. “That’s how we overcame immature processes.”
As president, he saw his role as a steward of this spirit, ensuring new hires in 2017—or even 2027—felt the same opportunity to grow through challenge. A standout memory? Industrial psychologists like Dr. Les Frankford, a Holocaust survivor whose quiet question—“What’s the main thing?”—cut through chaos. Allegis invested in inner-child work, helping employees unpack limiting beliefs and find fulfillment beyond financial success. “That was the enabler of everything,” Andrew notes.
Retirement? No, Renewal
In 2022, at 52, Andy stepped away—not to retire, but to renew. “I’ve got another turn in me,” he told Jim Davis, inspired by Jim Collins’ tale of Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant reinventing himself post-cliff moment. Retirement felt like a beach-bound surrender; renewal was about getting “lost in the forest” (a reference to Arthur Brooks’ From Strength to Strength) to sample new paths. “Life’s too short to gut it out for a pension,” he says, envisioning a future where people live past 100 and keep evolving.
One creative and fun experiment? A mini-movie, Four Feet to Glory, capturing a windy golf day with his 86-year-old dad. Filmed on a whim, it became a sentimental YouTube hit, a testament to cherishing fleeting moments. “Those are the things that matter,” Andrew beams, echoing authentic values over resumé ones.
The Main Thing Is Love
Andrew's parting wisdom crystallized in a lightning-bolt moment. A colleague’s call about his departure revealed the true “main thing”: showing up in life’s darkest hours. Recalling a funeral for her nine-year-old son, she wept, “You and so many were there for us.” Titles fade, but relationships endure. “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” Andrew channels Dr. Les. “It’s about love—giving it, living it.”
Now, as he writes, teaches at Duke University, and explores new creative projects (find him on LinkedIn!), Andrew's on a mission to amplify this truth. “We’re all on the journey,” he tells James. From plank-offs to presidency, his story reminds us: lean into discomfort, follow curiosity, and above all, love more. Because that’s what lasts.
